Trump Successfully Reads Prepared Remarks at Black Church in Detroit

Trump got his political start questioning the legitimacy of America’s first black president, and once defended his family’s real-estate business against federal discrimination charges.
Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

Donald Trump visited Detroit on Saturday to finally test his new outreach to black voters with actual black voters, as opposed to the near universally white audiences he usually addresses about black Americans’ problems. The focal point of the day was a trip to one of Detroit’s black churches, Great Faith Ministries International, where he attended a ticketed service and gave an interview to Bishop Wayne T. Jackson for the bishop’s television program. It was, according to Jackson, the first time Trump had ever been to a black church. But while Trump told the congregation of about 100 people that he had come to Detroit to listen and learn, it’s not entirely clear how much listening and learning the candidate made time to do — and as Trump’s mostly disbanded Hispanic advisory council can now attest, Trump listening and Trump learning are often two very different things.

Trump addressed the congregation for about 12 minutes, emphasizing that he was reading a statement “from the heart” that he had written himself a few days prior. This wasn’t supposed to happen, as Jackson had originally said (and Trump had agreed) that the candidate would only be able to offer a short greeting. Then on Saturday, top-level Trump aides reportedly pressured Jackson to let Trump deliver his speech, since it would “really be a blessing.”

Ultimately, the address featured a greatly subdued version of Trump, and one congregant toldPolitico that Trump’s speech sounded like “a weak little whisper” compared to his normal appearances. Beforehand, the candidate sat in the front row of the church, flanked by Ben Carson and Omarosa Manigault, where he clapped and swayed along with the service, and press-pool reports indicate the crowd received Trump warmly, though outside the church, where about 30 people were protesting the visit, was another story:

"He ain't out here for black people. He's here to make himself palatable to white people who don't want to vote for a racist." #Detroit

In his remarks, Trump noted his appreciation for black churches and how they have been “the conscience of our country,” and that the “African-American faith community has been one of God’s greatest gifts to America and to its people.” He also told attendees that “we’re all brothers and sisters” created by God, and that he understood that black Americans have “suffered from discrimination and that there are many wrongs that must still be made right and they will be right.”

On the other hand, Trump did not repeat one of the core arguments he has made to white audiences over the past few weeks: that black voters have nothing to lose by supporting him, since their desperate lives will likely end in gunfire as they walk through the blighted, economic wasteland of their communities. He did, however, roll out what has become a classic, context-free trope of Republican black outreach by reminding the congregation that “a lot of people don’t realize” that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican too. He also said Detroit would be rebuilt and that America needed a “civil-rights agenda for our time,” which would consist of basic political campaign promises like good schools, public safety, and well-paying jobs, since “nothing is more sad than when we sideline young black men with unfulfilled potential, tremendous potential.”

With regards to the interview with Bishop Jackson, Trump said in his remarks that it went “fantastic” and insisted, “I didn’t really know what I was getting into,” even though it was reported that the Trump campaign had gotten the questions from Jackson in advance and prepared a script of answers for Trump to then follow. The interview won’t be posted for a few days, so it’s not clear if the scripted exchange is what happened or not, and after the preprepared script was published, Jackson told CNN he would come up with some new questions.

At the end, Trump closed with a Bible passage, which he improbably implied he was already familiar with (while also oddly suggesting that his typical campaign audiences aren’t as familiar with the Bible):

I’d like to conclude with a passage from 1 John, Chapter 4. You know it? See, most groups I speak to don’t know that. But we know it. If you want, we can say it together: ‘No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.’ And that is so true.

Trump even came away with a few gifts, as he was eventually draped in a Jewish prayer shawl, which Bishop Jackson told Trump would help him through the adversities of his campaign, and he also gave Trump a pair of Bibles for him and his wife to study. “I feel better already,” Trump responded.

Trump then left the church, and though his campaign had originally said he would tour local neighborhoods, what happened instead was a drive to a several-minute photo-op outside Ben Carson’s childhood home, which is currently occupied by a Hillary Clinton supporter. (Trump reportedly told her, “Your house is worth a lot of money,” as a result of Carson having once lived there, and the campaign will now apparently be sending her a copy of Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal, according to the New York Times.)

Ben Carson, for his part during the brief stop, gave a live interview to CNN during which he walked away for a time because he was worried about his luggage:

After the short trip down Carson’s memory lane, Trump then headed back to the airport, though he told the Detroit News that he would return at some point during his campaign to visit Flint, Michigan, a majority black city that has recently suffered a terrifying outbreak of lead poisoning as a result of city and state mismanagement. Previously, when Flint’s lead-contamination story was first attracting national attention, Trump had declined to comment on the problem.

Facebook remains very concerned about false information circulating on the platform

Facebook says it will continue to host a video of Nancy Pelosi that has been edited to give the impression that the Democratic House Speaker is drunk or unwell, in the latest incident highlighting its struggle to deal with disinformation.

The viral clip shows Pelosi – who has publicly angered Donald Trump in recent days – speaking at an event, but it has been slowed down to give the impression she is slurring her words.

Trump v Pelosi: how a ‘stable genius’ president met his match Read more

… Despite the apparently malicious intent of the video’s creator, Facebook has said it will only downgrade its visibility in users’ newsfeeds and attach a link to a third-party fact checking site pointing out that the clip is misleading. As a result, although it is less likely to be seen by accident, the doctored video will continue to rack up views.

Dating as far back as the Pentagon Papers case and beyond, journalists have been receiving and reporting on information that the government deemed classified. Wrongdoing and abuse of power were exposed. With the new indictment of Julian Assange, the government is advancing a legal argument that places such important work in jeopardy and undermines the very purpose of the First Amendment. The administration has gone from denigrating journalists as “enemies of the people” to now criminalizing common practices in journalism that have long served the public interest. Meantime, government officials continue to engage in a decades-long practice of overclassifying information, often for reasons that have nothing to do with national security and a lot to do with shielding themselves from the constitutionally protected scrutiny of the press.

Rep. Chip Roy became the man who delayed $19.1 billion in disaster aid to communities throughout the country on Friday.

House leaders had planned to pass a multibillion-dollar disaster assistance measure by unanimous consent, but the Texas Republican objected on the floor.

Roy took issue with passing the measure without a roll call vote. He also complained that the legislation lacks offsets to prevent it from driving up the deficit and that congressional leaders left off billions of dollars in emergency funding President Donald Trump seeks for handling the inflow of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Nadler reassures people that he’s ok after appearing to pass out at event

House Judiciary Chairman Nadler: “Appreciate everyone’s concern. Was very warm in the room this morning, was obviously dehydrated and felt a bit ill. Glad to receive fluids and am feeling much better. Thank you for your thoughts.”

Sen. Menendez says the Trump admin has “formally informed Congress that it is invoking an obscure provision of the Arms Export Control Act to eliminate the statutorily-required Congressional review of the sales of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others.”

Scary moment at this press conference now, @RepJerryNadler appears to be dehydrated, perhaps low sugar as the conference was underway. They are clearing the room so he can get medical assistance. He’s conscious, drinking water and has just been fed an orange

Conflicting so obviously with Roe V. Wade, the law is likely to be blocked

Planned Parenthood and the Alabama Women’s Center on Friday filed suit against the state of Alabama to block the most restrictive abortion law in the nation.

The near-total ban, signed by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on May 15, would criminalize abortion in almost all circumstances — including cases of rape and incest — and punish doctors with up to 99 years in prison. Without any challenges, the law was set to go into effect in as soon as six months.

The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, sets off a chain of events that both sides say is likely to lead to a years-long court battle. State lawmakers have said they passed the law specifically to bring the case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, which they see as having the most antiabortion bench in decades. The bill was designed to challenge the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by arguing that a fetus is a person and is therefore due full rights.

That provision said patients cannot be turned away because they are transgender, nor can they be denied coverage if they need a service that’s related to their transgender status.

The announcement follows a series of moves that bolster efforts by religious conservatives to narrowly define gender and gender protections. Earlier this month, the administration finalized rules making it easier for health workers and institutions to deny treatment to people if it would violate their religious or moral beliefs.

Prominent publishers are very worried about the Julian Assange espionage case

NYT’s Dean Baquet: “Obtaining & publishing information that the government would prefer to keep secret is vital to journalism & democracy. The new indictment is a deeply troubling step toward giving the government greater control over what Americans are allowed to know.”

Hannity has an hour-long prime time show, no editorial supervision, and the ear of the president. What could go wrong?

… Hannity, who consistently dominates the ratings across all cable news outlets, brazenly ignores … [Fox’s news standards]. And news-side employees who spoke to The Daily Beast believe it’s because no one at the network is willing to control the ratings-leading host.

A blaring example of that is Hannity’s treatment of claims from guests whose dubious “reporting” would never pass muster on Fox’s hard news shows. The most commonly cited example of this is Trump-boosting Fox News contributor Sara Carter, whose news credibility is so questionable that, as Mediaite reported in March, Fox News executives allegedly told Hannity to stop calling her an “investigative reporter” on his show.

“Fox News executives have asked Hannity to stop using this title on the grounds that Carter’s reporting is not vetted, and passes none of the network’s editorial guidelines,” the media news site reported. And even without any such dictate, Hannity’s hyping of “reporters” who don’t meet Fox’s news standards would be considered troublesome at any mainstream outlet.

Nevertheless, Hannity has persisted.

In fact, according to a review of Fox News transcripts, he has only gotten more defiant since he was reportedly scolded by executives. This year, Hannity has referred to Carter as an “investigative reporter” at least 18 times, two-thirds of which came after he was told to stop. In several of those instances, Hannity even slapped a network-wide stamp of approval on Carter, calling her a “Fox News investigative reporter.”

Mueller has told House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler that he is willing to make a public opening statement, but leave his testimony behind closed doors, Nadler said on “The Rachel Maddow Show” Thursday night.

Nadler, D-N.Y., has made repeated efforts for Mueller to speak in front of Congress. If Mueller did proceed with private testimony on his report, the public would get a transcript, Nadler said.

“We think it’s important for the American people to hear from him and to hear his answers to questions about the report,” Nadler said.

“He envisions himself correctly as a man of great rectitude and apolitical and he doesn’t want to participate in anything that he might regard as a political spectacle,” Nadler said about Mueller not wanting to testify in public. But he added, “I’m speculating really.”